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This randomised controlled trial aims to assess the effects of three different types of dietary advice for reducing free sugar intakes, on intakes of free sugar, in a sample of the UK population.
The primary objective of this randomised control trial is to assess the effects of three different types of dietary advice, for reducing total energy intakes (TEI) of free sugar. A total of 150 participants (age 18-65years) consuming diets >5% total energy intake from dietary free sugars will be recruited from across the Dorset region. All participants will be asked to reduce their free sugar intake to <5% TEI, and to aid with this, they will be encouraged to reduce their intakes of specific foods identified as high in free sugars. Participants will also be advised to replace these foods with other foods dependent on their taste. Participants will be randomized to replace high sugar foods with: 1) foods that are low in sugars, but high in sweet taste; 2) foods that are low in sugars, but high in other tastes; and 3) foods that are low in taste. The primary outcome will be changes in free sugar consumption from baseline to endpoint at week 12. Secondary outcomes include change in: BMI; dietary profiles; sweetness preference; sweetness liking; food choices; low calorie sweetener intakes and adherence levels at week 12.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary Advice: Sweet Taste | Active Comparator | Participants will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to less than 5% TEI. To aid with this, they will be asked to reduce their intakes of foods and drinks high in free sugars, and replace these with foods low in sugars, that remain high in sweet taste, eg. fruit, low-calorie sweetened foods and drinks. The intervention will be provided to participants in written form, in an opaque sealed envelope. |
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| Dietary Advice: Taste | Active Comparator | Participants will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to less than 5% TEI. To aid with this, they will be asked to reduce their intakes of foods and drinks high in free sugars, and replace these with foods low in sugars, that remain high in taste, eg. nuts, foods and drinks flavoured with herbs and spices. The intervention will be provided to participants in written form, in an opaque sealed envelope. |
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| Dietary Advice: No taste | Active Comparator | Participants will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to less than 5% TEI. To aid with this, they will be asked to reduce their intakes of foods and drinks high in free sugars, and replace these with foods low in sugars, that are low in taste, eg. foods and drinks that are plain-flavoured, wholegrains. The intervention will be provided to participants in written form, in an opaque sealed envelope. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary Advice | Behavioral | Dietary Advice |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Free sugar intakes | Percentage energy intake from free sugars, assessed using diet diaries | Baseline to week 12 |
| Adherence | Adherence to the recommendations provided, assessed using diet diaries and self-reported adherence | Baseline to week 12 |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary Intakes | Nutrient composition and taste of dietary intakes, assessed using diet diaries | Baseline to week 12 |
| Body weight | Body weight, in kg, assessed using researcher measurements |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Katherine M Appleton | Bournemouth University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth University | Bournemouth | US and Canada Only | BH12 5BB | United Kingdom |
Anonymised study data will be available on completion of the trial from the PI
On study completion
Reasonable request
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAP | No | Yes | No | Statistical Analysis Plan | Sep 30, 2025 | Jun 19, 2026 | SAP_000.pdf |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D015596 | Nutrition Assessment |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D003625 | Data Collection |
| D004812 | Epidemiologic Methods |
| D008919 | Investigative Techniques |
| D017531 | Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms |
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Investigators, outcomes assessors and analysts will be masked. Masking of participants is not possible.
| Baseline to week 12 |
| BMI | BMI, in kg/m2, assessed using researcher measurements | Baseline to week 12 |
| Waist circumference | Waist circumference, in cm, assessed using researcher measurements | Baseline to week 12 |
| Body fat percentage | Body fat percentage, assessed using bioimpedence, as conducted by the researcher measurements | Baseline to week 12 |
| Sweet food preferences | Preferences for various sweet foods/fluids, assessed using a taste test, where participants sample several sweet and non-sweet foods and rate them for pleasantness on a 100mm Visual Analogue Scale. Higher scores signify stronger preferences | Baseline to week 12 |
| Sweet food perceptions | Perceptions of the strength of sweet taste for various sweet foods/fluids, assessed using a taste test, where participants sample several sweet and non-sweet foods and rate them for strength of taste on a 100mm Visual Analogue Scale. Higher scores signify stronger perceptions | Baseline to week 12 |
| Sweet food intakes | Selection of sweet foods/fluids at a given meal, assessed where participants can consume freely from a meal composed of sweet and non-sweet foods, and proportion of sweet foods consumed is measured in terms of weight consumed | Baseline to week 12 |
| Sweet food attitudes | Attitudes towards sugar, sweeteners, and sweet-tasting foods, assessed using a questionnaire, soon to be published. Higher scores denote stronger attitudes. | Baseline to week 12 |
| Adverse events | Adverse events, assessed by self-report | Baseline to week 12 |
| Eating-based attitudes | Attitudes towards eating, assessed using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (Karlsson J, et al. IJO 2000; 24: 1715-1725) | Baseline to week 12 |
| Subjective Quality of Life | Quality of Life, measured using the SF-36 questionnaire (Ware et al, 1996), where Quality of Life is assessed out of 100, where a higher score demonstrates better quality of life | Baseline to week 12 |
| Barriers and facilitators to success | An assessment of barriers and facilitators to success, assessed by self-report questionnaire | Week 12 |
| D011787 | Quality of Health Care |
| D017530 | Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation |
| D015991 | Epidemiologic Measurements |
| D011634 | Public Health |
| D004778 | Environment and Public Health |